Q: Abby's Toes Are Red?

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Abby comes in from outside or when she is outside in the cold her toes will turn red I have never seen this before but I saw it today on one of our rescue dogs Tommy he is Lahsa mix in the rescue right now he is same coloring as Abby is and his toes were red today too they seem to change back to normal but I don't know if this is a health problem or not I know it never happened to my cocker spainel Lady when we had her so I am trying to figure out what this might be is it normal Abby will sometimes have it happen when it is just wet outside or when she is outside just a second or two so we can get in the car and put her in the car when we go for car rides I don't know if this will continue happening in the spring and summer when it warms up but I want to know why the tops of her paws are turning red if this helps it is just the fur on her toes not the skin, does anyone know?

Readers' Answers (1)

The fur itself is not going to change colors in response to being outside. Hair is dead tissue with no nerve endings so it is what it is. Hair and fur color changes are due to loss of pigment and are permanent. If her fur is what is changing color, she could be walking through some substance that is getting on her fur and eventually it wears off or she's licking it off. There is a red fungi that grow on certain grasses. There's also a rust fungi and probably others that I'm not familiar with. Are you sure it's not her skin turning red and it's just showing through and reflecting off of her fur. I have a dog whose belly gets really read and makes her sparse white fur appear pink. If it's cold outside, her feet could be turning red in response to the cold. Cold skin turns red when small vessels in the area open up to allow more blood flow to help keep the area warm.